@gguf/claw

--- summary: "Top-level overview of OpenClaw, features, and purpose" read_when: - Introducing OpenClaw to newcomers title: "OpenClaw" --- # OpenClaw 🦞 > _"EXFOLIATE! EXFOLIATE!"_ — A space lobster, probably <img src="/assets/openclaw-logo-text-dark.png" alt="OpenClaw" width="500" class="dark:hidden" /> <img src="/assets/openclaw-logo-text.png" alt="OpenClaw" width="500" class="hidden dark:block" /> Any OS + WhatsApp/Telegram/Discord/iMessage gateway for AI agents (Pi). Plugins add Mattermost and more. Send a message, get an agent response — from your pocket. <a href="https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw">GitHub</a> · <a href="https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw/releases">Releases</a> · <a href="/">Docs</a> · <a href="/start/openclaw">OpenClaw assistant setup</a> OpenClaw bridges WhatsApp (via WhatsApp Web / Baileys), Telegram (Bot API / grammY), Discord (Bot API / channels.discord.js), and iMessage (imsg CLI) to coding agents like [Pi](https://github.com/badlogic/pi-mono). Plugins add Mattermost (Bot API + WebSocket) and more. OpenClaw also powers the OpenClaw assistant. ## Start here - **New install from zero:** [Getting Started](/start/getting-started) - **Guided setup (recommended):** [Wizard](/start/wizard) (`openclaw onboard`) - **Open the dashboard (local Gateway):** http://127.0.0.1:18789/ (or http://localhost:18789/) If the Gateway is running on the same computer, that link opens the browser Control UI immediately. If it fails, start the Gateway first: `openclaw gateway`. ## Dashboard (browser Control UI) The dashboard is the browser Control UI for chat, config, nodes, sessions, and more. Local default: http://127.0.0.1:18789/ Remote access: [Web surfaces](/web) and [Tailscale](/gateway/tailscale) <img src="whatsapp-openclaw.jpg" alt="OpenClaw" width="420" /> ## How it works ``` WhatsApp / Telegram / Discord / iMessage (+ plugins) │ ▼ ┌───────────────────────────┐ │ Gateway │ ws://127.0.0.1:18789 (loopback-only) │ (single source) │ │ │ http://<gateway-host>:18793 │ │ /__openclaw__/canvas/ (Canvas host) └───────────┬───────────────┘ │ ├─ Pi agent (RPC) ├─ CLI (openclaw …) ├─ Chat UI (SwiftUI) ├─ macOS app (OpenClaw.app) ├─ iOS node via Gateway WS + pairing └─ Android node via Gateway WS + pairing ``` Most operations flow through the **Gateway** (`openclaw gateway`), a single long-running process that owns channel connections and the WebSocket control plane. ## Network model - **One Gateway per host (recommended)**: it is the only process allowed to own the WhatsApp Web session. If you need a rescue bot or strict isolation, run multiple gateways with isolated profiles and ports; see [Multiple gateways](/gateway/multiple-gateways). - **Loopback-first**: Gateway WS defaults to `ws://127.0.0.1:18789`. - The wizard now generates a gateway token by default (even for loopback). - For Tailnet access, run `openclaw gateway --bind tailnet --token ...` (token is required for non-loopback binds). - **Nodes**: connect to the Gateway WebSocket (LAN/tailnet/SSH as needed); legacy TCP bridge is deprecated/removed. - **Canvas host**: HTTP file server on `canvasHost.port` (default `18793`), serving `/__openclaw__/canvas/` for node WebViews; see [Gateway configuration](/gateway/configuration) (`canvasHost`). - **Remote use**: SSH tunnel or tailnet/VPN; see [Remote access](/gateway/remote) and [Discovery](/gateway/discovery). ## Features (high level) - 📱 **WhatsApp Integration** — Uses Baileys for WhatsApp Web protocol - ✈️ **Telegram Bot** — DMs + groups via grammY - 🎮 **Discord Bot** — DMs + guild channels via channels.discord.js - 🧩 **Mattermost Bot (plugin)** — Bot token + WebSocket events - 💬 **iMessage** — Local imsg CLI integration (macOS) - 🤖 **Agent bridge** — Pi (RPC mode) with tool streaming - ⏱️ **Streaming + chunking** — Block streaming + Telegram draft streaming details ([/concepts/streaming](/concepts/streaming)) - 🧠 **Multi-agent routing** — Route provider accounts/peers to isolated agents (workspace + per-agent sessions) - 🔐 **Subscription auth** — Anthropic (Claude Pro/Max) + OpenAI (ChatGPT/Codex) via OAuth - 💬 **Sessions** — Direct chats collapse into shared `main` (default); groups are isolated - 👥 **Group Chat Support** — Mention-based by default; owner can toggle `/activation always|mention` - 📎 **Media Support** — Send and receive images, audio, documents - 🎤 **Voice notes** — Optional transcription hook - 🖥️ **WebChat + macOS app** — Local UI + menu bar companion for ops and voice wake - 📱 **iOS node** — Pairs as a node and exposes a Canvas surface - 📱 **Android node** — Pairs as a node and exposes Canvas + Chat + Camera Note: legacy Claude/Codex/Gemini/Opencode paths have been removed; Pi is the only coding-agent path. ## Quick start Runtime requirement: **Node ≥ 22**. ```bash # Recommended: global install (npm/pnpm) npm install -g openclaw@latest # or: pnpm add -g openclaw@latest # Onboard + install the service (launchd/systemd user service) openclaw onboard --install-daemon # Pair WhatsApp Web (shows QR) openclaw channels login # Gateway runs via the service after onboarding; manual run is still possible: openclaw gateway --port 18789 ``` Switching between npm and git installs later is easy: install the other flavor and run `openclaw doctor` to update the gateway service entrypoint. From source (development): ```bash git clone https://github.com/openclaw/openclaw.git cd openclaw pnpm install pnpm ui:build # auto-installs UI deps on first run pnpm build openclaw onboard --install-daemon ``` If you don’t have a global install yet, run the onboarding step via `pnpm openclaw ...` from the repo. Multi-instance quickstart (optional): ```bash OPENCLAW_CONFIG_PATH=~/.openclaw/a.json \ OPENCLAW_STATE_DIR=~/.openclaw-a \ openclaw gateway --port 19001 ``` Send a test message (requires a running Gateway): ```bash openclaw message send --target +15555550123 --message "Hello from OpenClaw" ``` ## Configuration (optional) Config lives at `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json`. - If you **do nothing**, OpenClaw uses the bundled Pi binary in RPC mode with per-sender sessions. - If you want to lock it down, start with `channels.whatsapp.allowFrom` and (for groups) mention rules. Example: ```json5 { channels: { whatsapp: { allowFrom: ["+15555550123"], groups: { "*": { requireMention: true } }, }, }, messages: { groupChat: { mentionPatterns: ["@openclaw"] } }, } ``` ## Docs - Start here: - [Docs hubs (all pages linked)](/start/hubs) - [Help](/help) ← _common fixes + troubleshooting_ - [Configuration](/gateway/configuration) - [Configuration examples](/gateway/configuration-examples) - [Slash commands](/tools/slash-commands) - [Multi-agent routing](/concepts/multi-agent) - [Updating / rollback](/install/updating) - [Pairing (DM + nodes)](/start/pairing) - [Nix mode](/install/nix) - [OpenClaw assistant setup](/start/openclaw) - [Skills](/tools/skills) - [Skills config](/tools/skills-config) - [Workspace templates](/reference/templates/AGENTS) - [RPC adapters](/reference/rpc) - [Gateway runbook](/gateway) - [Nodes (iOS/Android)](/nodes) - [Web surfaces (Control UI)](/web) - [Discovery + transports](/gateway/discovery) - [Remote access](/gateway/remote) - Providers and UX: - [WebChat](/web/webchat) - [Control UI (browser)](/web/control-ui) - [Telegram](/channels/telegram) - [Discord](/channels/discord) - [Mattermost (plugin)](/channels/mattermost) - [BlueBubbles (iMessage)](/channels/bluebubbles) - [iMessage (legacy)](/channels/imessage) - [Groups](/concepts/groups) - [WhatsApp group messages](/concepts/group-messages) - [Media: images](/nodes/images) - [Media: audio](/nodes/audio) - Companion apps: - [macOS app](/platforms/macos) - [iOS app](/platforms/ios) - [Android app](/platforms/android) - [Windows (WSL2)](/platforms/windows) - [Linux app](/platforms/linux) - Ops and safety: - [Sessions](/concepts/session) - [Cron jobs](/automation/cron-jobs) - [Webhooks](/automation/webhook) - [Gmail hooks (Pub/Sub)](/automation/gmail-pubsub) - [Security](/gateway/security) - [Troubleshooting](/gateway/troubleshooting) ## The name **OpenClaw = CLAW + TARDIS** — because every space lobster needs a time-and-space machine. --- _"We're all just playing with our own prompts."_ — an AI, probably high on tokens ## Credits - **Peter Steinberger** ([@steipete](https://x.com/steipete)) — Creator, lobster whisperer - **Mario Zechner** ([@badlogicc](https://x.com/badlogicgames)) — Pi creator, security pen-tester - **Clawd** — The space lobster who demanded a better name ## Core Contributors - **Maxim Vovshin** (@Hyaxia, 36747317+Hyaxia@users.noreply.github.com) — Blogwatcher skill - **Nacho Iacovino** (@nachoiacovino, nacho.iacovino@gmail.com) — Location parsing (Telegram + WhatsApp) ## License MIT — Free as a lobster in the ocean 🦞 --- _"We're all just playing with our own prompts."_ — An AI, probably high on tokens